Exposing the physical damage from gender demolition procedures
In recent years, the number of Americans believing they were born the wrong gender has surged. In 2018, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5) between 0.002% and .014% of the population had gender dysphoria - a psychiatric condition where a person believes there is a “mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity.”
By 2022, the Williams Institute observed that 1.4% of 13–17-year-olds self-identified as “transgender” while a PEW Research survey found that 5% of young adults were questioning their biological gender.
Historically, the primary approach to managing this condition was psychological support, aimed at aiding individuals in reconciling with their biological sex. More recently, however, there has been a shift towards physical interventions. Even though the condition is psychological, doctors have been using hormonal therapies and surgical procedures to change the physical body to the perceived gender identity.
The frequency of such physical interventions has nearly tripled in recent years. While some medical practitioners advocate these interventions as an effective treatment for gender dysphoria, the evidence shows many potential health risks, including infertility, cardiovascular issues, urinary complications, sexual dysfunction, neurological anomalies, insulin resistance, permanent scarring, and even death.
Professional healthcare bodies are starting to recognize these dangers. The American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) recently stated that the potential harms of such interventions are well documented, casting doubt on their perceived benefits. Similarly, Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare concluded that the risks associated with puberty blockers and hormone therapy treatment currently exceed their possible benefits for minors.
The following is a summary of some of the published medical literature showing significant risk of physical harm.
Death
Examining population data spanning four decades in Sweden, a study revealed that individuals who had undergone ״gender reassignment״ procedures experienced “a three times higher risk of all-cause mortality” than those who did not.
A separate investigation conducted at the Gender Identity Clinic of Amsterdam University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, published in The Lancet, “showed an increased mortality risk in transgender people using hormone treatment.”
In Denmark, a study examining "transgender" individuals post-surgery over 30 years found “one in three had somatic morbidity and approximately 1 in 10 had died.”
While these studies do not distinguish between individuals with gender dysphoria who received interventions and those who did not, their findings underscore the importance of a more detailed examination of both the condition and the interventions. We will now delve into the specific physical consequences associated with these interventions.
Sterilization
It's a salient fact, though not always recognized, that surgical procedures that alter sexual organs cause infertility, and hormonal interventions lead to infertility, if not stopped and treated in time. This fundamental point is explicitly detailed in a study titled “Fertility Concerns of the Transgender Patient.”
While the paper explores the potential for individuals who have undergone such procedures to have children through alternative methods, it ultimately concedes that:
Both transgender men and women are at risk of losing their reproductive potential during the process of medical or surgical transition with GAHT [Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy] or gender-affirming bottom surgery. For instance, transmen who undergo hysterectomy and oophorectomy and transwomen who undergo orchiectomy are rendered permanently sterile.
Regarding hormonal therapy, Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRHa) are administered to children to facilitate an “opportunity for adolescents with gender dysphoria to explore their gender identity by suspending the progression of puberty.”
Such intervention is acknowledged in the medical literature as a method that extinguishes reproductive capabilities. “GnRHa therapy prevents maturation of primary oocytes and spermatogonia and may preclude gamete maturation, and currently there are no proven methods to preserve fertility in early pubertal transgender adolescents.”
Sexual function
Presumably, one would consider satisfactory sexual function a vital component when considering replacing or altering sexual organs. However, the research shows that goal is left unfulfilled by many after surgery.
A significant 66% of patients who underwent phalloplasty — the surgical construction of a penis — expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome. The inability “to penetrate was for 47/102 transgender men the most dissatisfactory aspect.”
For men posing as women, the state of affairs presents a different, yet equally distressing, scenario. A comprehensive study that surveyed post-operative males posing as women on various aspects of sexual function found that “male-to-female patients reported lower sexual function levels than cisgender women.”
Moreover, other research entitled “Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunctions in Transgender Persons” concluded “sexual dysfunctions among trans men and women were very common among the various treatment groups.”
Urinary problems
Genital reconstructive surgeries affect not only sexual function and reproduction but also the fundamental function of urination.
A systematic review of eight studies examining urinary complications that biological males experienced, discovered a prevalence of voiding dysfunction in 47%–66% of cases. Incontinence and misdirected urinary streams were other significant complications, occurring in 23%–33% and 33%–55% of patients, respectively.
For biological women who underwent prosthetic surgeries, a meta-study found that they had a very high complication rate of 76%. An alarming finding was the occurrence of urethral fistulas — a distressing condition where solid waste and urine are both expelled through the urethra and the inability to empty the bladder in 34.1% of cases. Additionally, urethral strictures, which result in painfully slow urination, were observed in 25.4% of the patients.
A particular study that looked at biological women who underwent phalloplasty with urethral lengthening using a radial forearm flap, found that “problematic voiding symptoms” were indeed “prevalent.”
Cardiovascular
The process of “transitioning” with hormone therapy has been linked to substantial negative impacts on the cardiovascular system. According to recent research, strokes increased by a factor of more than 1.6 for both sexes and heart attacks by more than a factor of 4 for biological women.
Elevated instances of Venous Thromboembolic Events — blood clots forming in veins — have also been associated with Transgender Hormone Therapy (THT). A study, published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation, found that THT events were “higher in transwomen receiving THT [Transgender Hormone Therapy] than in both reference women [5.5 times] and men [4.5 times]. In addition, transwomen and transmen receiving THT are at [a 2.6 times] higher risk of MIs than reference women.”
Another revealing study investigating the heart-related implications of hormone therapy reinforced these findings: “The transgender population had a higher reported history of myocardial infarction [2 to 4 times higher] in comparison to the cisgender population, except for transgender women compared with cisgender men, even after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors.”
Neurological
Hormonal interventions can, at times, be associated with neurological complications. For instance, the serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) — a significant biomarker for neural health — was reduced in males “transitioning” to females.
These interventions can further induce alterations in the grey matter structures of the brain, potentially leading to neurological compromise.
In a study designed to unravel this connection, researchers concluded, “cross-sex hormone therapy in transgender individuals leads to changes in subcortical brain areas. We showed that estradiol and anti-androgen treatment in MtF [Male to Female] participants induced decreases in the hippocampus, while increases in the ventricles have been observed.”
Moreover, it has been revealed that the risk of developing debilitating neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) is relatively higher among the "transgender" population, particularly in those “transitioning” from male to female. The prevalence of MS in this group is found to be five times higher than in the general population. The study reported "a strong association between Gender Identity Disorders (GIDs) and MS in male-to-females."
Insulin sensitivity
Hormonal treatments for biological men can decrease insulin sensitivity which could cause type 2 diabetes. A compelling study compared insulin sensitivity in the same person before and a year after hormonal intervention. The results demonstrated “decreased sensitivity in feminizing treatments.”
Youth who want to “change gender” are prescribed puberty-blocking hormones, to prevent normal maturation. A recent clinical trial compared youth on gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa) with youth who refrained from hormonal interventions and discovered that “Transgender youth on a GnRHa have lower estimated insulin sensitivity and higher glycemic markers and body fat than cisgender controls with similar characteristics.”
Chest affects
Females who want to become male often undergo a surgical procedure colloquially referred to as “top surgery.” This operation, which involves the removal of breasts, is known to leave behind visible and permanent scar tissue. The “scars fade with time, but never disappear completely.” In addition, “most patients experience a permanent change in feeling in their nipples and chest wall.
For biological males who want to become female the insertion of breast implants is often done. This surgical procedure is not solely associated with gender disorientation treatments; indeed, many women also opt for this operation for reasons such as cancer or a desire for larger breasts. Since it’s more prevalent, there exists a substantial volume of data available.
According to an FDA report, the overall complication rate of breast implant surgeries, including reoperations, ranges between 36% and 50%. Additionally, the FDA has issued warnings regarding specific side effects of the procedure, including fatigue (43.6%), joint pain (29.0%), anxiety (22.7%), hair loss (20.3%), depression (17.2%), and autoimmune diseases (16.6%).
Conclusion
Recognizing the profound, irreversible harm associated with hormonal and surgical interventions aimed at addressing gender dysphoria, institutions like Vanderbilt University Medical Center have paused their use of these interventions pending a complete review.
Parents, doctors, and policymakers are calling for some of these interventions to be labeled as “experimental” so that the inherent risks are appropriately communicated to patients, as required under the principle of informed consent.
Medical practitioners, including psychologists and psychiatrists, must be made acutely aware of the indelible damage wrought by these surgeries and hormonal treatments and utilize alternative therapies when managing gender dysphoria cases.
